Japanese Forces

Isamu Chō

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cho_Isamu.jpg

Born on 19 January 1895, he graduated from the Imperial Japanese Army Academy in 1916 and from the Army Staff College in 1928. During the next few years, Chō was involved in several attempts to overthrow the democratic government (directly and indirectly) with the goal to replace it with a state socialist regime to stamp out corruption. When the war in China started, Chō was the commander of the 74th Infantry Regiment of the Shanghai Expeditionary Force. During the Battle of Nanking, he was the aide-de-camp to Prince Asaka. It is thought that Chō was involved in the ordering of the massacres of the P.O.W.s, but it is not clear if it was at his own initiative or if Chō was following the prince's orders. He was then sent to different other units, being involved in border incidents between the Soviet Union and Manchukuo, working at the Taiwan Army of Japan HQ and becoming the Chief of Staff of the Indochina Expeditionary Army from 1940 to 1941. He participated in the strategic and tactical planning of the invasion of Southeast Asia. During the Battle of Okinawa, Chō was the Chief of Staff of the 32nd Army. He favoured a high agressive response to the American landings and invasion instead of a passive defense. He persuaded General Mitsuru Ushijima to launch the disastrous 5 May 1945 counteroffensive. He committed ritual suicide alongside Ushijima on 22 June 1945 rather than surrender to the American forces. ------------------------------- Evillittlekenny